Welcome to the
Castles of Wales
Web Site!
Quick jump to Main Menu, Castle Index, Castle Maps or Site Search
Above: A sheep grazes peacefully in front of the Garrison Tower at Usk Castle in Monmouthshire, south Wales. The Norman castle of Usk was founded in the early 12th century on the site of an earlier Roman fort. Over the centuries it was rebuilt and strengthened by a succession of owners, and took part in several notable conflicts. Much of this impressive castle has survived the ravages of time and today Usk can still be explored by the modern visitor.
Photograph copyright © 1998 by Jeffrey L. Thomas 
Follow this link for a Welsh language version of this page, and this link for a list of pages at the site available in Welsh!
elcome! Croeso! My name is Jeffrey L. Thomas and I'm pleased to be your host as we explore some of the most impressive monuments of the Middle Ages, the medieval Castles of Wales. Along the way we hope to educate and enlighten you about not only Welsh castles, but about the unique history of the Welsh people and their centuries-old struggle to preserve their land, their culture, and their ancient language. Wales is often called the "Land of Castles" and rightly so, as it is home to some of Europe's finest surviving examples of medieval castle construction. Over the years I've visited and explored many of the region's famous and lesser-known castles, from mighty Chepstow in southeast Wales, to picturesque Beaumaris on the Isle of Anglesey, and charming Ewloe in the north.
(Map of Great Britain courtesy of Data Wales)
he Castles of Wales web site provides visitors with a lot more than simply a few photographs of the most famous Welsh castles. Our pages cover a wide range of topics related to Welsh castles and Welsh medieval history, and many of our essays are written by today's leading experts in their respective fields of study. We provide information on over 400 different Welsh castles, accompanied by high quality photographs, as well as profiles of the men responsible for their construction and an explanation of the turbulent times in which they lived. Although we provide detailed information and photographs for the most famous Welsh castles, the thing that separates the Castles of Wales web site from other sites on the net is the fact that we also provide large, high quality photographs for many of the lesser-known Welsh castles with less impressive remains. In some instances our photographs of these forgotten castles are the only ones available on the Internet or in mainstream publications. We also feature a smaller section on Welsh Abbeys and Other Religious Sites, monuments that, like the Castles of Wales, represent an important component of Welsh medieval heritage and history. If you take the time to explore the site via the main menu below, we believe you will be pleased with both the variety and depth of information provided.
The Castles of Wales survive today in a variety of conditions, ranging from completely ruined to castles that still serve as stately homes for their owners. Many are currently under the care of CADW: Welsh Historic Monuments, an organization whose members are dedicated to preserving the many ancient monuments found throughout the land. So come with us as we travel back in time to discover the Medieval Castles of Wales!
"In a country with relatively few great churches
and abbeys, and even fewer unfortified manor houses,
the Castles of Wales form the most imposing group of
monuments left from the Middle Ages. In terms of
grandeur they are second only to the dramatic landscape."
Adrian Pettifer - Welsh Castles
Below is the site's main menu. Begin your castle search by visiting our main castle index, our larger castle database, or enter your search criteria in the site search engine below. For specific essays and other articles concerning the Castles of Wales check out the Historical Essays and Related Essays sections. For additional source materials visit our reference, or site bibliography sections. To purchase individual castle guidebooks, visit the Cadw web site. In addition, directly below the main menu are links to late-breaking news stories in Wales from the icWales web site.
Please Select a Topic
Castles listed in our main index accompanied by this icon 
feature large, high quality digital photographs.
<FORM action=http://search.freefind.com/find.html method=get target=_self>Search this site (powered by FreeFind)
<INPUT type=hidden size=-1 value=4019324 name=id> <INPUT type=hidden size=-1 value=r name=pid> <INPUT type=hidden size=-1 value=ALL name=mode> <INPUT type=hidden value=0 name=n> <INPUT name=query> <INPUT type=submit value=" Search "> </FORM>
Free Forum Hosting
Important Announcement
language=javascript src="http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales//index.cfm?distribute=js&numstories=5"></SCRIPT> Headlines from 
Welsh
First 
